


Go back to sleep

by TheTheoryOfDreaming



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, Caring Minho, Chan feels like he has to carry the world on his shoulders, Chan puts himself down and Minho hates to see it, Chan-needs-proper-sleep-squad, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, Kisses, M/M, and a panic attack, be careful, mentions of that cursed ninth member, mostly soft fluff, no beta we die like men, no communication needed, snuggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTheoryOfDreaming/pseuds/TheTheoryOfDreaming
Summary: Minho is a light sleeper and Chan tends to come home late.Five times Chan accidentally woke Minho and one time Minho dragged Chan home to sleep.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 4
Kudos: 117





	Go back to sleep

**Author's Note:**

> So I know we all don't like him but he is part of the past, so he's mentioned. Nothing is glorified and I don't support him but I wanted to include this

#

1

Minho was a light sleeper and while sharing a room with other boys for years had gotten him used to snoring and tossing and turning he wasn't used to a thump followed by cursing.

He lifted his head and blinked through the sleep blur until he could make out Chan in the thin sliver of light shining in from the hallway.

"Hyung, are you okay?" He was whispering to not wake Jeongin who was still soundly asleep. That boy would probably sleep through a volcano eruption.

"Sorry, Min. Didn't want to wake you, go back to sleep."

Minho rubbed his face with his sweater paws. "'s fine, I need to pee anyways. But to come back to my earlier question, are you okay?"

Chan sighed and watched as Minho climbed down from the top bunk. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just bumped my shin into something."

"Ah. Probably gonna bruise, right?" Chan's pale skin bruised easily.

"Yeah, nothing that's gonna kill me."

"Okay, good. Just checking." Minho stumbled into the direction of the bathroom, sleep still clinging to him. Of course he lost his balance.

Warm hands wrapped around his upper arms and steadied him. "Careful."

Minho half turned around and saw that Chan had slipped out of his shirt, getting ready to go to sleep, so he squinted at Jeongin's alarm clock. 3:30. For Chan a relatively decent time.

By the time he returned from the bathroom Chan was in bed, plugging his phone in and turning to the side.

"Night, hyung." Minho climbed back into the top bunk.

"Good night, Min."

Minho was out in seconds.

2

A few nights later Minho woke up again, even though this time there was no thump. He lifted his head and just caught the door closing, which was probably the sound responsible for waking him. Was it Chan-hyung? Minho stretched and figured he might as well get up to check, it was always nice to know if their leader was home.

It was indeed Chan. He was stretched out on their sofa and had turned on the TV on the lowest volume but Minho doubted that Chan was actually watching the sitcom that was playing.

"Hyung?"

Chan turned around with the speed of lightning and relaxed as he saw Minho. "Hey. Did I wake you again? I'm literally so sorry!"

Minho shrugged and sat next to Chan. "I'm a light sleeper, nothing to be done about it. It's not your fault, so don't worry." He yawned.

"You should go back to sleep." Chan nudged him with a toe.

"I could say the same for you."

Chan sighed. "I know. I'll go in a bit, but I'm still too wound up to sleep, I put this on to take my mind off things." He nodded towards the TV.

Minho wiggled into the space between Chan and the back of the sofa and propped his chin up on Chan's shoulder. "Watcha watchin?"

"I  _ believe _ it's Big Bang Theory. Minho, you should really go back to sleep though."

"No." Minho stole some of Chan's blanket. "I'll wake up again when you come in to sleep anyways. Which, again, I don't blame you for. So I'll just hang out with you until you're ready to go to sleep."

Chan huffed but snuggled closer to Minho's sleep-warm body. "Fine."

3

Minho woke up to light. Which was unusual, a quick glance to Jeongin's alarm clock confirmed that it was the middle of the night. Minho squinted in the direction of the light but his eyes took a while to adjust so he couldn't see anything at first. After a while he saw Chan, bending over his computer. The light of the screen was what had woken Minho up.

"Hyung, you're supposed to stop working at some point, you know that, right? You need sleep too!"

Chan startled. "Jesus Christ, Min." He pressed a hand to his heart. "Don't do that." After rubbing his chest a few times he asked "Did I wake you up again? I was so careful to be quiet this time!"

That made Minho squirm. All the members knew how lightly he slept, which was why he was rooming with Jeongin and Chan who were the quietest sleepers, contrary to Hyunjin who would recite whole novels in his sleep. They all tried really hard to help him and he constantly had to tell them that they were still failing, making them feel guilty which in turn made him feel guilty. "The light from your laptop," he said quietly.

"Oh." Chan looked embarrassed. "I'm really sorry."

"You're forgiven, it wasn't intentional."

"I'll turn it off now, go back to sleep."

Minho propped himself up on the railing of his bunk. "You should finish if it's important."

"Well..." Chan looked back and forth between Minho and his laptop, his face a conflicted grimace. "It  _ is _ important... but so is your sleep!"

"I'll be fine." Minho fished for the sleeping mask dangling from his bed post. "Do what you have to do and then make sure you get some sleep as well, okay?"

"Okay. Sleep well, Min."

Minho responded with a hum. The sleeping mask made everything pitch black and Chan's typing and clicking and tapping was a bit like ASMR so he was able to fall asleep relatively quickly.

4

Minho wasn't expecting to be woken up that night. Chan had been home at 21:00 for a change, he had eaten dinner with them and hung out with them and gone to sleep with them, there should have been no one up. But someone was up, making noises and consequently waking Minho. Jeongin's alarm clock flashed 3:08. Minho sighed. He could make out the dark lump that was Jeongin all wrapped up in his blanket but Chan's bed seemed empty.

Oh no. Minho was not about to let the fullest night of sleep Chan could possibly get in months be compromised. He climbed down from his bunk and tip-toed out of the room.

Chan was in the kitchen, peering into the fridge with his blanket draped across his shoulders.

"Why are you up?" Minho leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed like a mother who just caught her child sneaking out.

Chan flinched and then took a deep breath. "Damn, you scared me." He closed the door of the fridge and turned around. "Why are  _ you _ up? I know you were asleep when I left the room."

Minho shrugged and sat at the table. "Something woke me up."

"That was probably me." Chan scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I dropped the milk, sorry."

Minho waved it off. "Whatever. But why are you not in bed?"

Chan shrugged. It looked a bit comical with his head disappearing in his fluffy blanket. "Couldn't sleep."

Minho got up and opened the fridge himself. "Go sit, I'll make you some warm milk."

"You don't have to, Min. You can just go back to sleep." Chan scrambled after him as Minho poured milk into a pot.

"If I have to worry about you being awake at three in the morning, I'm sorry, you'll have to worry about me too. Just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

Chan gave up and sat. "Thank you."

"No problem." Minho smiled at him. "You don't have to carry the world on your shoulders alone, you know? You have us. We can help you, if you just put some trust in us." He set the pot on the stove and flicked it on.

"It's not that I don't trust you, please don't ever think that! I trust every single one of you with my life, I just don't want to burden any of you."

"You're never a burden to us, Chan-hyung." Minho watched the milk carefully.

Chan just hummed but Minho let it go. Their conversation quieted down and when the milk was warm Minho poured it into Chan's favourite mug that he usually used for coffee.

"But don't get a placebo caffeine rush now." He placed it in front of Chan.

Chan chuckled. "I'll try not to."

Minho sank into the chair next to him and pulled his feet up onto the seat. "You can tell me what's on your mind. Listening is the least I can do."

Chan stared into nothing for a while, clinking his nails against the mug. Minho was already nodding off on the kitchen chair when Chan broke the silence. "My aunt is in the hospital."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, hyung, how is she?"

"She broke her leg, she's already recovering and doctors say she'll be fine. But it made me realize how I'm not there for my family should they need me. I'm not there if it's something really bad. And that makes me worry about them."

"Ah." Son duties. As an only child Minho knew those well. "But we both know you'd drop everything to go help them should they need you. And we also both know that the team would support you in that. Right?"

"Yeah." Chan's voice was very quiet and he took a sip of his milk.

"And your siblings are there, they'll manage. It's normal for you to worry, but you shouldn't let it cost you your sleep. That'll make them worry about you."

"I guess you're right." Chan stared into his mug.

They both stayed silent after that until Chan's mug was empty and Chan allowed Minho to drag him back into their room. Minho was about to climb back into his bed when Chan's whisper broke the silence.

"Could you... would you mind bunking with me tonight?"

There was no way Minho would say no to this. He knew that Chan slept better when he could wrap himself around someone and it wasn't like Minho minded being a human teddy bear for his members. Plus, Chan was always warm.

Instead of a verbal answer Minho snatched his pillow from his own bed before walking over and snuggling into bed with Chan. Chan's arms immediately wrapped around Minho's torso and Chan sighed in contentment as he settled against Minho.

5

Minho woke up to a crash outside of their room and was immediately wide awake. He waited for cursing, but it never came. That was worrying, Chan would usually curse when he stumbled over something.

He hopped down from his bed and left the room in search for his hyung, just to check if he'd fallen and snapped his own neck or something. He found Chan in the brightly lit entryway, crouched to the floor and staring at the wall in horror, his face ashen. For a second Minho wondered why Chan looked like that, their leader usually didn't mind bugs and that was the first reason his brain could come up with, but then he noticed Chan's irregular breathing. Minho knew how to identify a panic attack. Jisung had them more often than any of them would like, being an idol was stressful, and Chan also had them from time to time.

"Hyung." Minho crouched down in front of Chan. "I'm here. You're not alone. It's okay. You're okay."

Chan whimpered.

"I know." Minho wished he could reach out and touch Chan, pet his hair and wrap him into a hug and protect him from all evil in the world, but he knew that Chan didn't react well to that. "It'll be alright. We've been here before, we know this. We know there's a way out of this. It's difficult to find but that's okay. We'll find it. Don't worry, hyung, I'm here. You're not alone, I'm here, I've got you and I'm not leaving, okay? You just need to listen to my voice and try to breathe with me. It's okay if you can't, just keep trying and you'll get it, okay? Breathe in, one, two, three, four. Hold it, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And release, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Awesome, you're doing great. And again, breathe in, one, two, three, four." He kept counting and breathing with Chan until Chan's breathing was less laboured and the tiniest bit of colour returned to his face. Chan slumped against the wall, his body no longer cramping up. He was still trembling but the worst part was over. Minho sat next to him and allowed Chan to sink against his shoulder.

When he opened his mouth to ask about it Chan cut him off. "Can we please talk about it in the morning? I don't want to think about anything right now."

Minho nodded and closed his mouth again. They sat in the hallway, leaned against the wall, until Minho's feet got cold.

He got up and pulled Chan up too. "Come on, we'll get you into bed." He saw the shoes that had fallen from the shoe rack next to Chan and figured that had something to do with the noise that had woken him up.

Chan allowed Minho to steer him into the bathroom, strip him and rinse off the sweat from the panic attack with warm water. He brushed his teeth while Minho fetched fluffy pyjamas for him and once he was dressed he followed Minho into their room and let himself be pushed down to lay on his bed. Minho tucked the blanket around him, turning Chan into a blanket burrito. Instead of returning to his own bed Minho sat on the edge of Chan's and ran his fingers through Chan's hair, carefully combing the unruly curls as he started to sing quietly. Chan closed his eyes and Minho continued singing and petting Chan's hair until he was sure that Chan was asleep. Only then did he go back to sleep himself.

+1

"Has anyone seen Chan-hyung?" Some of the members had already headed off to bed but Changbin and Seungmin were still hanging out in the living room and Felix was doing  _ something _ to prepare his newest recipe in the kitchen. Minho didn't even know if the result was going to be sweet or savoury. All of them shook their heads.

"I haven't seen him since the day before yesterday." Seungmin made a triumphant noise as his character knocked Changbin's out of the boxing ring.

"I've just seen him briefly at the company today." Changbin lowered the controller and looked around. "Has he even come home the last couple of days?"

Minho just shook his head. "His bed hasn't been touched in a while."

Felix sighed. "He's doing it again, isn't he?"

Seungmin nodded. "Seems like we'll have to hold another intervention."

"I'll go get him." Minho threw a jacket over his pyjamas, stuffed his feet into his boots and grabbed his phone and his keys.

"Do you need help?", Changbin asked. Seungmin had gotten up to turn off the console.

"Nah, I've got it. You can all go to sleep, I'll drag him home by his hair if I have to."

Changbin snorted. "Good luck." He got up and stretched. "Alright, come on, my dongsaengs, if you hurry I'll let you use the bathroom first." Seungmin was gone in a blur.

Minho closed the door behind himself and jumped down the stairs to the entrance. It wasn't unusual for Chan to come home late but it was concerning if he didn't come home at all for days. The cold night air was refreshing and smelled a little bit like snow. Minho pondered a bit before turning back and fetching a jacket for Chan. Who knew if Chan had one. The sky was clear enough that Minho could make out a few bright stars even though light pollution didn't allow him to see the smaller ones and Minho's breath left white clouds in the air. The street lamps produced cones of light and Minho thought that Seoul at night was nice. Maybe he should take nightly walks from time to time.

The security guard at the company let Minho in without an issue. The company building was quiet at night, apart from a few producers in their studios everyone had gone home. Chan was in his own studio and smiled as Minho knocked and opened the door. He had his headphones lopsided on his head, one side on his ear and the other not, and a microphone sat beside his laptop. He was probably recording guides.

"Hey, Min. What are you doing here?"

"Dragging you home. Do you know what time it is?"

"No?" Chan's smile slipped a bit as he searched the room for a clock. "Quarter past midnight, that's not too bad. You know I've been here longer before."

"Yeah. But you haven't been home in days so we're worried. It's time to come home." Minho held out his hand.

"I'll just finish this, it's going pretty well..."

"Hyung, how much do you still have to record?"

"Ahm." Chan sank back into his chair and he just looked so  _ tired _ . The bags under his eyes were big enough to serve as a pillow. One Chan desperately needed. "I have three more guides and four are recorded so I just-"

"No, not today. You're coming home with me. We both know that if I let you finish you'll be here for another two days, just editing guides. Not on my shift, mister. You're going to turn off that computer and grab your stuff and then we're going to go  _ home _ ."

"Minho...." When he whined like this it was hard to believe that Chan was their oldest hyung.

"But-"

"No buts. You need sleep, hyung, in an actual bed at home, we're not debating this."

"I just need to-"

"No. Turn that off or I'll do it for you."

Chan grumbled but turned to his laptop and began to save and close files before Minho could follow through on his threat. Minho unplugged the microphone and folded it up to store it in its case.

"Is it cold outside? I don't know where my jacket is, I used it as a pillow as I slept on the sofa in the dance studio but I haven't seen it since..."

Minho waved the jacket he had brought.

"Ah. Thanks." Chan looked small and lost as Minho helped him into the jacket. He didn't protest when Minho put all of Chan's equipment into a locker instead of a bag.

"Have you finally realized how tired you are and how you're running yourself thin?" Minho's words were harsh but his voice was gentle. Chan blushed and nodded and Minho's heart went out to him. He and Chan had always had a special connection, especially since the mess their ninth member had left, when Minho had stepped up to fill his role as the second hyung.

Minho was the one Chan allowed himself to be weak and vulnerable around. That was a privilege.

"It's okay, hyung. That's why you've got us. Me." Minho squeezed Chan's hand and didn't let go as they stepped out of the company building into the cold night.

Chan trailed after Minho like a duckling and it was honestly adorable. Why was his hyung so cute?

"Sorry for being like that and worrying you." Chan kept his head down as they walked, like a scolded child.

Minho sighed. "Oh, hyung. It's not like we don't appreciate what you do for us, because we do. But I told you before that you don't need to carry this weight on your own. We're here, we want to and we can help. And at the end of the day your health is more important than our success."

"I guess." Chan took a deep breath. "I just don't want to let STAY down again, you know?"

"Okay, first of all, you didn't let them down and they made sure to tell you that. What happened isn't your fault. You tried your best and nobody can blame you for that. Second, have a little more faith in them. They'll still love you the same when you take five days to record those guides instead of two."

"But if I was a better judge of character-"

Minho stopped Chan by the hand he was still holding and turned him around so they were face to face. "Hyung. Stop it. It's not your fault. The only one blaming you is you. Nobody else does. Not me, not the members, not STAY, not the managers. He's a good actor, hyung. There's no way you could have known."

"But-"

"No." Minho raised his eyebrows and looked Chan directly in the eyes. Chan seemed to shrink under his intense gaze but he didn't avoid it. "I won't allow you to keep putting yourself down like that. Not in this household. Okay?"

"Okay." Chan let out a deep sigh but still didn't look away. "Thank you for looking out for me."

Minho grinned. "I'm the second oldest. It's basically in my job description."

"It's not." Chan shook his head. "But you still do it. Thank you. You always know when I'm in my head and pull me out. That means more to me than you might think."

Minho's grin faded slowly. "There's almost nothing I wouldn't do for you, hyung. So you are so very welcome."

Chan looked like he didn't know what to say. Eventually he settled for "Thank you." But he didn't move a muscle and neither did Minho. They just stood there and stared at each other, in an empty street, halfway between two streetlights. Chan's eyes flitted all over Minho's face and Minho wondered if Chan had always been this attractive, because even with the lighting casting weird shadows over Chan's face and accentuating the bags under his eyes more Chan was beautiful. Maybe it was the emotional intimacy that made Chan so beautiful to Minho.

Minho wasn't able to tell who leaned in first but his lips were on Chan's, just a soft touch, and Chan's even softer breath was hitting Minho's face. The kiss was soft and slow and  _ comfortable _ . Minho had always thought that kisses were supposed to be passionate, that you were supposed to be drowning in each other, but it wasn't like that. Instead of drowning they were keeping each other afloat. Minho wasn't losing his breath, instead they were breathing together, especially after Chan pulled back and they shared the air between them. It wasn't overwhelming, it was natural.

So that was what their special connection was. That made sense. He was in love with Chan. It made total sense. Minho had always thought love came with stomachs filled with butterflies and weak knees but when he looked back... apparently love also came with familiarity and security and caring about each other. Minho was okay with that.

"Let's go home," Chan whispered and Minho nodded. They really shouldn't be kissing in the streets where everybody and their mum could see.

The rest of their walk to the dorm was spent in complete silence but it was comfortable. There simply was no need to say anything, Minho already knew. He knew that Chan loved him and was thankful for taking care of him. He knew that Chan knew that Minho loved him too. They had no need to talk about it because everything was clear.

Chan didn't leave Minho's side as they got ready for bed, and Minho only went to get his pillow before snuggling into bed with Chan.

Minho kissed Chan again, a lazy push and pull of lips that calmed their minds and relaxed their bodies.

"Good night, hyung. Sleep well." Minho tucked his head into the crook of Chan's neck.

"Night, Min." Chan turned his head to press a kiss to Minho's hair. "I love you."

Minho smiled against Chan's skin. "I know. And I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  
> Remember that love comes in all different shapes and sizes, and it's okay to celebrate your love for your pet today, or a friend, or a sibling. It doesn't always have to be a significant other. Tell your loved ones how important they are to you today, no matter what kind of love connects you to them.  
> Thank you for reading! If you wanna come scream and rant, my dms are open @ChanSeongGuk on twt


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